Related resources...

Summary on the Attributes of God
Spurgeon on the Attributes of God

Israel of God - Is God "Finished" with Israel in His prophetic plan?

Off Site - Table Comparing/contrasting Israel & Church
Off Site - Does the Church Fulfill Israel's Program? - John Walvoord
The Jewish People, Jesus Christ and World History - S Lewis Johnson

Are you confused about God's plan for Israel? Then I highly recommend Tony Garland's 12 Hour Course on Romans 9-11 in which he addresses in depth the question of  What Will Happen to Israel?  (click) or see the individual lectures below)

Romans 9:1-5 Paul's Sorrow Concerning Israel
Romans 9:6-13 Children of the Promise
Romans 9:14-24 The Potter and the Clay
Romans 9:25-33 A Remnant Will be Saved
Romans 10:1-13 The Righteousness of God
Romans 10:14-21 Has Israel Not Heard?
Romans 11:1-6  God Has Not Cast Away The Jews
Romans 11:7-15 Life from the Dead
Romans 11:16-24 Two Olive Trees
Romans 11:25-36 The Salvation of Israel

Note that when you click the preceding links, each link will in turn give you several choices including an Mp3 message and brief transcript notes. The Mp3's are long (avg 70+ min) but are in depth and thoroughly Scriptural with many quotations from the Old Testament, which is often much less well understood than the NT by many in the church today. Garland takes a literal approach to Scripture, and his love for the Jews and passion to see them saved comes through very clearly in these 12 hours of teaching! Take your home Bible Study group through this series if you dare. Take notes on the tapes as the transcripts are a very abbreviated version of the audio messages. This course is highly recommended for all who love Israel! I think you will agree that Tony Garland, despite coming to faith after age 30 as an engineer, clearly has been given a special anointing by God to promulgate the truth concerning Israel and God's glorious future plan for the Jews. Garland has also produced more than 20 hours of superb audio teaching in his verse by verse commentary on the Revelation (in depth transcripts also available) which will unravel (in a way you did not think was possible considering the plethora of divergent interpretations) God's final message of the triumph and return of the our Lord Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords! Maranatha!

AND DAVID SAYS LET THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE: kai Dauid legei (3PAI) genetheto (3SAPM) e trapeza auton eis pagida: (Deuteronomy 6:10-12; 32:13-15; 1 Samuel 25:36-38; Job 20:20-23; Proverbs 1:32; Isaiah 8:13,14; Luke 12:20; 16:19-25; 1 Timothy 6:17-19)

David writes...

May their table before them become a snare; And when they are in peace, may it become a trap.  May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see, And make their loins shake continually. (Psalms 69:22,23)

Paul quotes David to show that David like Moses (Dt 29:4 "Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.") anticipated that such an experience of the judgment of God would occur to Israel as a whole ("the rest" Ro 11:7 ~ a partial hardening Ro 11:25). The hardening of Israel will reach its height in the middle of Daniel's Seventieth Week (often referred to as the Tribulation). Scripture anticipates the condition of Israel as it is today. God is not surprised; neither should we be. If it were otherwise, we should be troubled.

Vine on "their table" writes...

It is here symbolical of the special privileges granted to Israel and centering in Christ."

MacArthur comments

"A person’s table is generally thought of as a place of safety, feasting, and sustenance. But the table of the ungodly and self righteous will become a snare and a trap. The Jews considered God’s Word, in particular the Torah, to be their spiritual sustenance—which indeed it was. But because of their rebellious unbelief, that Word became a judgment on them, a stumbling block and a retribution.

One of the saddest commentaries of history is that so many people place their trust in the very thing that damns them. All false religions—pagan, cultic, unbiblical Christianity, and every other kind—present counterfeit means of salvation. The more their adherents feed on the falsehoods, the more immune they become to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the living bread of life.

As she continued to reject God, Israel became progressively more spiritually blind—so blind that she could not recognize her own Messiah and Savior. Just as David had prayed in righteous indignation against the sins of his own people, Israel’s eyes were darkened to see not. Because Israel refused to see the things of God, God judicially ratified her willing blindness. Bend their backs suggests the hunched over position in which blind people sometimes walk as they grope their way on a path they cannot see that leads to a destination they do not seek. (MacArthur, J. Romans. Chicago: Moody Press)

Believer's Bible Commentary writes that...

"The table here means the sum total of the privileges and blessings which flowed through Christ. What should have been a blessing was turned into a curse." (Believer's Study Bible. Criswell Center for Biblical Studies.  Nashville: Thomas Nelson)

Charles Ryrie comments that

"God's blessings (THEIR TABLE) actually became a stumbling block to their receiving God's righteousness. " (Ryrie Study Bible)

Bible Knowledge Commentary writes that...

"[Ps 69:22-23] which predicts that the very things which should have been the source of nourishment and blessing to Israel (table means their blessings from the hand of God, which should have led them to Christ; cf. Galatians 3:24) became the occasion for their rejection of God. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary:  Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)

KJV Bible Commentary has this note...

"The words snare, trap, and stumbling block are closely related. Their combination serves to enforce the turning of the table to its opposite intent. The table is indicative of the bountiful mercy and blessing of God to Israel. Israel has not partaken of the good things of God’s table. The recurring motif of the unseeing eyes indicates the principle that the temporary blindness has overtaken all of Israel, with the exception of the believing remnant. Thus the application is clear. Those who seek their own righteousness must bow down their back always to the bondage of sin. But those who seek the righteousness of Christ receive it by grace and are the believing remnant of God." (KJV Bible commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson)

Warren Wiersbe writes that...

Their “table to become a snare” means that their blessings turn into burdens and judgments. This is what happened to Israel: their spiritual blessings should have led them to Christ, but instead they became a snare that kept them from Christ. Their very religious practices and observances became substitutes for the real experience of salvation. Sad to say, this same mistake is made today when people depend on religious rituals and practices instead of trusting in the Christ who is pictured in these activities. (Wiersbe, W. W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.)

A SNARE: eis pagida:

“Snare” (3803) (pagis) describes that which causes one to be suddenly endangered or unexpectedly brought under control of a hostile force.

Pagis is found 5x in the NAS: Luke; Romans; 1 Timothy 2x; 2 Timothy

Pagis  specifically was a snare or trap in which birds were entangled (unexpectedly, suddenly, unawares) and then came to refer to whatever brings peril, loss, destruction including the allurements and seductions of sin. (cf interesting background on "Fowler" ~ Professional bird catcher ISBE, Easton's)
 

AND A TRAP: kai eis theran:

“Trap” (2339) (theran is derived from ther = wild beast) denotes a hunting of wild beast to destroy them and then a prey, game or trap and thus figuratively as used here referred to preparing destruction for men by use of a net or “trap”.

AND A STUMBLING BLOCK : kai eis skandalon:(9:32-33 Rev2:14)

Stumbling block (4625) (skandalon) (Click for in depth study of skandalon)  referred literally to that part of a trap on which the bait was laid and when touched caused the trap to close on its prey. It came to mean any entanglement of the foot [Trench].

In NT skandalon is always used metaphorically, and ordinarily of anything that arouses prejudice, or becomes a hindrance to others, or causes them to fall by the way.

Skandalon denotes an enticement to conduct which could ruin the person in question. Sometimes the "enticement" or hindrance is in itself good (as in the current verse), and those stumbled by it are the wicked. In this verse the Messiah is the SKANDALON, especially Christ crucified & the Cross.

AND A RETRIBUTION (God’s judgment) TO THEM : kai eis antapodoma autois: (Dt32:35 Ps28:4 Isa59:18 Heb2:2)

Retribution (468) (antapodoma from antí = in turn + apodídomi = render) means a giving back in return for something received and so that which is offered or given as recompense, retribution (in both a good sense and a bad sense)

Let...be darkened (4654) (skotizo from skótos = darkness) means literally to be or become dark, to be unable to give light and figuratively to obscure.  Aorist imperative (passive voice) calls for action that comes from without the one who is darkened (spiritually speaking) This is a terrible imprecation (uttering in a sense a curse upon another). Because Israel refused to see the Lord Jesus as Messiah and Savior, they lost the power to see Him. Because they steadfastly, stubbornly refused to hear the pleading voice of God, now they were smitten with spiritual deafness. That terrible judgment continues to this very day.

Paul describes a similar darkening of all men who have suppressed the truth about God in unrighteousness...

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks but they became futile in their speculations & their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools & exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man & of birds & four-footed animals and crawling creatures." (Ro 1:21-23)

This clearly ties in with the “spirit of stupor” in v8 and the hardening in v7, and indicates that Israel as a whole was blinded toward the truth of the gospel. As she continued to reject God, Israel became progressively more spiritually blind—so blind that she could not recognize her own Messiah and Savior. Just as David had prayed in righteous indignation against the sins of his own people, Israel’s eyes were darkened to see not. Because Israel refused to see the things of God, God judicially ratified her willing blindness.

AND BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER: kai ton noton auton dia pantos sugkampson (2SAMM): (Deuteronomy 28:64-68; Isaiah 51:23; 65:12)

Bend (4781) (sugkampto from sún = together + kámpto = to bend, bow) means to bend together, to bow down low. It pictures bend together as of captives whose backs were bent under burdens. This is written in the form of a command (aorist imperative) This picture suggests the hunched over position in which blind people sometimes walk as they grope their way on a path they cannot see that leads to a destination they do not seek.

Forever (1275) (diapantos from diá = through + pantós = all) literally means through all and describes continuous unbroken permanence of a characteristic habit. This means through all time and so constantly or continually. It does not mean “without end,” but is more accurately rendered “constantly” or “continuously". That is, as long as it lasts, may there be no relief.

It is difficult to tell exactly what calamity this is supposed to represent. It may be a figure for the hard labor of slavery, the heaviness of a burden, a state of weakness, or the overwhelming effects of grief or fear. Any of these could apply to first-century Judaism. Paul may be saying,

“May their backs be always weak and feeble under the burden that they bear because of their rejection of the gospel” (Fitzmyer).

Or he may be referring to

“the state of slavish fear in which the Jews shall be held as long as this judgment of hardening which keeps them outside of the gospel shall last” (Godet).